


Cut!

by corpse_wife



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Hollywood, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dorky Ben Solo, F/M, Falling In Love, French Kissing, Love Confessions, One Shot, Pining, Rey is a sweetheart, Rey is absolutely smitten, Rising Star Rey, Rough Kissing, Secret Crush, Soft Ben Solo, Sweet Ben Solo, Veteran Actor Ben Solo, all the kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25855213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corpse_wife/pseuds/corpse_wife
Summary: Somewhere along the lines from their scripts and the aching longing in her chest, the fine line between acting and what’s real fades into a blur as strong feelings overlap.Excellent.A heavy kissing scene is just what Rey Johnson needs (not!) to get over her stupid crush on Ben Solo.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 15
Kudos: 122
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	Cut!

****

**CUT!**

The director, Poe Dameron’s voice whips through the thick tension diffusing in the air as crew members hustled around to fix the lighting and capture the scene from different tasteful angles, her lips tingling with a strong sensation where his lips torridly caressed her own; delicate but firm. Each time she’d grow accustomed to the pace, he’d surprise and disorient her by shifting into a new, brain-melting position. 

Still so deep in her thoughts it takes a moment to realize that they’re still moving, one of his large hands gripping her by her bare thigh due to the scrappy nightgown riding up from her perch on the table, the other still stroking the back of her neck lovingly, maneuvering the angle of her head, tossing and turning to better consume her mouth as her lungs desperately burn for oxygen.

With a gentle push on his broad chest, she disentangles from his full lips. 

He answers with a gasp that lands squarely on her warm face. 

Under recovering, she watches his face magically transform from an all-consuming desire into something more recognizable, slipping back to his very sweet, very shy self as he awkwardly puts a much safer distance between them. 

"Oh." He gasps out, cheeks tainting with color and eyes darting around in panic, anywhere but her pressing gaze, "They said cut. I must have missed it. I’m sorry.” 

The hand burning a hot trail on her thigh, moves to rub the back of his fire red neck as if to soothe the irritated skin. 

She was no amateur to kissing, these scenes were mandatory, essential for the field they both dominated, as she’s a breakthrough actress from a well-received family sitcom and he’s a veteran heartthrob who worked with beautiful women like Amanda Seyfried and Scarlett Johansson. It was all acting; establishing a believable romantic relationship with her co-star. It was all fake. 

Though lately, Rey could feel the lines blurring, there seemed to be an alternator that activated in all their interactions, from laughter shared with brief touches; a hand gently squeezing a shoulder, a tickling poke on the abdomen, a teasing slap on the chest. They cannot keep their hands to themselves! In fact, she began to sought him out, never truly grappling the magnitude of his effects on her. 

Now all these unnecessary feelings were cluttered on the ground and she wasn't quite sure how to pick them back up.

The obnoxious ring of the bell, which signaled a break gives her the excuse to escape. Gulping a large intake of air, she pushed herself off the table, tilting for a brief moment because she had forgotten that her other high heel shoe is misplaced for the scene, she catches herself by gripping the edge of the table before his hand shot out to right her steadily.

"Be careful." His voice was so quiet, his words only tickled her ears because of their proximity. 

She forces out a smile, feeling the fake rise of her mouth, his eyes searches her face as if to verify its validity, and often times he could easily read her.

His face twisted.

"Are you okay? Tell me what's wrong." Concern lacing the tone of his deep voice.

She simply shrugged, allowing her panic attack to wreck havoc internally because she can't tell him that she was rapidly developing feelings for her ridiculously good looking co-star. Her current unfortunate circumstance felt like such a cliché, such a Hallmark movie that it hurts. She was usually the cautious type, keeping people at arm's length because it's safer to leave in friendly terms after finishing a project. However, Ben recklessly knocked away every wall defense she had wrapped protectively around herself with the buoyancy of a German Shepherd, quick with his wits to make her laugh and before she knows it, the way her heart spikes up around his vicinity is never less than jarring.

"I'm heading back to my trailer for a bit." The slight quiver of her voice made her wince as she passed by his shoulder. 

She briskly fled with quaking legs, crossing the threshold of the mansion they shoot in without looking back at crew members curious enough to stop but not voice their questions.

Locking herself inside her trailer, Rey hid in the small bathroom, staring at her own distraught face as she looked exactly as she felt. She knew she had to keep herself together, needed all of this, whatever it is, to stop because they'll be wrapping up within three months and they'll take the separate roads of their own careers.

She'd most likely return to making guest appearances on late night talk shows, maybe a brand campaign shoot here and there while he returns to accepting roles from esteemed directors, attending award shows for being nominated like the millionth time. It's still a wonder to her why he accepted to be in a small studio romcom series instead of another film with Martin Scorsese. 

The cold splash of water on her face does nothing to tamper the heat of their kiss.

It was intended to be raw and passionate, she'd kissed many actors before, actresses too, it was part of the show. This was crucially their first heavy makeout scene before ending with a cliffhanger on the anticipating note of a sex scene for the next episode. She has done those too. They were formulaic, professional, easy. 

But the first stroke of his tongue in her mouth had rendered her motionless, at least her mind was because her body responded like it knew precisely what to do, eagerly responding to the kiss, allowing itself to be manhandled wherever he took her.

That was another thing, Poe didn't give any specifics.

His exact words were "Just do what feels right and natural. Be comfortable." 

She nodded with an understanding, not shying away from having to be intimate whenever they'd have to throw flirty lines, give longing stares or hold each other's hands. In fact, Ben was typically the one to squirm under her stare, nervously laughing and cutting through the tension with jokes that could shake the entire set. He knew how to break the ice like that. But over time, she was finding it close to impossible to laugh at his jokes, to play it off with a casualness between friends instead of allowing the tension to swallow her whole. Why couldn't he look at her in the eyes for too long? Why did he act like this only towards her? He was much bolder with his previous co-stars, affectionate even. 

All suspicions led to one conclusion-he felt it too. This **_thing_** between them.

Neither of them acknowledged it, dismissing the fans' shipping antics and the media's comments about their undeniable chemistry. 

So they weren't even trying to make it look natural, they were already comfortable and friendly the first time they met, he'd been his usual thoughtful self even for this kissing scene.

“Are you okay to follow my lead? I think it makes a lot of sense in this scene since I'm supposed to not hold back in showing how much I love you."

Only her years of acting had jarred her truthfully, unable to stop the emotions reflecting on her face. ' _I and you. Instead of Kira and Kylo.'_ They'd always referred to each other by their character's names, made it easier to compartmentalize their feelings. 

Rey knows that. She did. But she couldn't help herself from thinking otherwise.

"I'm okay with that. I can follow your lead, we should practice how you lay me down on the table though."

He nodded then, red tinting his ears all the way to his neck, he stepped forward, scooping her into his arms like a ragdoll, she feels his firm muscles clench under the weight of her body.

The fluttering in her stomach made her rasp out, "Am I too heavy? Maybe we can just have you back me up towards the table or something.”

Anything to stop him from touching her. 

But when she looked at his face, gone was the gentle puppy and in its place was something fiercer.

"No. I'll carry you." He said with a voice which indicated that his mind was made up. The tightening of his grip on her further emphasized his point as he languidly approached the table, plopping her on the edge. 

Not giving her the time to argue because he's practically already leaning in, eyes on her lips the entire time and words fanning across their small space.

"Let's practice the kiss without the fighting since we have to save our voice. Is that okay?" 

He left her with very limited options that with a small utter of _okay_ , he managed to pry her mouth apart with a wet swipe of his tongue and in less then ten seconds, he was licking and prodding hungrily at her mouth. Searching and discovering new ways to go deeper, relentless in his conquest. And as if that wasn't enough to tilt her entire world to a different axis, she felt his hand cup her lower back and pull her closer, instinctively, she is encouraged to wrap her arms around him, card her fingers through his wild hair as he descends her on the table. 

Her head wouldn’t stop spinning from having the air sucked out of her lungs, and when they parted, her lids felt too heavy to open, but with some effort, she meets his blown out pupils lidded with desire. She swallowed thickly. 

Rey needed a break.

But Ben was already returning to her mouth, she fought the urge to dodge and hide, from this all consuming kiss, from him, from her irrefutable _feelings_. It was all overwhelming.

The second clashing was even more damning than the first, as if it were possible. He ravaged her lips as if the first kiss had only teased the appetite instead of quenching it. His mouth was eager, everywhere at once.

All her cries for help getting lost into his mouth, swallowed and vanishing forever.

She had stopped responding, too overcome with emotions, wishing he would give her a moment to put herself back together as her forehead pinched at the continuous assault to her emotions.

A soft knock at the door ends her heavy pondering, with a final shake she rights her expression into something acceptable and calm.

Schooling her face into a warm smile to greet whoever unfortunate intern was sent to retrieve her, she pulls open the door.

“Okay, I’ll be right o—“

Ben enters her space before she can complete her sentence.

Taken aback by his sudden presence, she stays in one place, gaping as he pulled the latch on the door, locking themselves together with a soft click. 

"What are you doing?”

"Why are you in here?"

Their questions overlap, falling on top of each other as they both look helplessly into each other's eyes.

After a few seconds of their uninterrupted gazing, he shuffles is weight nervously from one foot to the other. 

The sight was frustrating at best as she snorts. 

“How do you kiss me like that, but can't even look me in the eyes without getting nervous?"

The question, while teasing fell into a shocking remark, floundering like a very handsome fish opening and closing its mouth, she would have laughed weren’t it for the deliberateness that twisted his face with a seriousness she can only associate with his character’s personality, speaking after a pause synonymous to an entire lifetime. 

"Kiss you like what?"

His retort snaps her like a taut rubber band. 

He has no idea what she's talking about. 

Ice cold realization washes over her in a painful reality check, freezing her into place as it’s her turn to gape without words. Had she been reading everything wrong? Projecting? Opened a can of worms that could no longer seal the lead to? 

There had been nights where she cried herself to sleep, dreading the impending countdown of their project together ending, longing for more time and more moments with him. 

Except now, she wanted the opposite. 

Rey needed the space to wrestle her feelings back into a box, seal it shut and make sure it never sees the sun rise again. 

She could do it. She refuses to be a slave to her heart or her feelings.

Ben was still waiting for her answer, and she shakes her head as if finding herself ridiculous before patching with a friendly smile. 

"Nothing, I was talking nonsense. You obviously learned from all your other co-stars. It’s good, don’t worry. It felt very natural."

She chuckles to reduce any more of the dangerous rising of the temperature in the tight space between them, but he doesn't join in on her laughter though.

Weird. 

It’s probably because they've been locked away for too long, Poe probably sent him to get her and now they were both missing. It’s a busy day, they still have a lot more scenes to shoot. 

"Anyway, we should head back before they start freaking out.” 

She attempted to slip around his body, fingers reaching for the latch in, before he grabbed her hand, pulling her back to her original position. She stumbled from the unexpected motion, this time needing his hands to catch her.

They were warm around her waist. 

Rey waited for him to yank them back and stutter out an apology. 

"It's because I mean it.”

And he kept her waiting with those words spoken deeply to make her shudder. 

Ben looked boldly in her face that despite the alarming blush he was wearing, his fingers were twitching where they held her waist, he was trying to overcome his nerves.

"What?"

His chest expanded with his deep inhalation and he pursued bravely.

“It feels natural because it is. When I was kissing you, I don’t see Kira. I only see Rey.”

His throat visibly bobbed. 

Then finally his eyes shift away from her own which are blown out in genuine shock, stunned beyond words. 

So he _was_ feeling it too. Where did that leave them? What should they do? 

No. 

This couldn’t be real, they just got carried away from a fictional love story. 

“That’s not it. It’s just a little character bleed. This happens to actors all the time.”

Her tone is clipped with rationality, leaving little room for argument, she can't afford to fall for someone like him, a worldwide heartthrob, she almost doubles back at the ridiculous idea. Who knows how many love-struck actresses have been in her shoes? She's not naive to believe herself to be the first.

She moves to escape again.

His hands falling from her hips and then back to his sides in defeat.

“Then why did I want you before all this? Why did I accept this role thinking this was my chance to get close to you? I wanted to ask you out, you know... Back during BAFTA’s. But I thought I had frightened you.” 

Each statement is surging frenetically, the last recovered memory from two years ago, uttered in raw desperation as he closes in to stop her from further hiding. 

“Do you really think I was just getting carried away? That whenever Poe yells cut, the feelings magically stop?” 

Dizzy from his revelation, she falls into the sturdy hardness of the door behind her.

There's no correct answer, if she says yes then she's lying and if she says no then.... Life will become more difficult.

Rey is an introvert at heart, her skin just crawls at the thought of people looking at her through a microscope despite the fact that she often played assertive and confident characters. She wasn’t one when she presented for BAFTA’s, she practically retreated to the safety of her hotel room once it was safe to leave. 

She didn’t want to be watched carefully, constantly dissected by fans and the media when they’re already receiving talks since the public announcement of their collaboration. 

This will never work.

But then he looks at her, with those eyes, such soulful eyes were windows to a million stories, those eyes that track her every move and search for her when she's gone. Those eyes that captivate the soul because they scream everything he doesn't say. 

Rey is royally fucked. 

He lips open and she hears a voice that sounds like her.

“No. You're not alone. I feel it too."

Then his crooked smile wrinkles his face, dimples sinking into his otherwise youthful skin, so infectious that she feels her lips shifting without her permission. 

They stare at each other like lovesick fools. 

With all the gentleness of a morning breeze, he brings his hand down to brush against her face, lightly grazing the wisps of hair that perfectly frame her face.

“Can I kiss you? I’ve been wanting to kiss you without the cameras watching.” 

Now how was she supposed to resist that? With all that sunlight directed at her she finds it impossible to protest and nod shyly.

His large hands cradles her cheeks, dragging her head within reach, until their lips press together in the softest peck. 

Rey expected that to be all. 

Except she forgot that Ben doesn’t do anything half-assed. 

The peck turns into a complete charge, begging for entrance and shameless when he gets it. He leaves no place unexplored, keeping his hands full by wrapping an entire arm around her waist and pulling her as physically close as possible. 

Then she’s kissing back, trying to match his fervor because she wants to, stroking his endearingly large ears and swallowing the uncontainable moan he lets out. 

Being able to kiss Ben this way is without a doubt the best feeling in the world. She wraps her arms around this neck, anchoring by boosting herself on her tiptoes, slamming her further onto the door as he grapples for purchase on her hips, barely above her ass, only hesitant for a few seconds until he couldn’t resist the temptation to squeeze with an answering groan. 

Turns out he is bolder than she was expecting. Maybe he was more like Kylo than she originally thought after all. 

They break away from their kiss, lips raw and tender as the friction that slowly dissipated. Rey has admittedly never been kissed this frequently in one day. 

“Wow.”

He sounds and looks just as dumbfounded, mouth hanging open with wonder as his hands never stray from their provocative location.

At her amused brows, he wriggles his own in the most ludicrous manner to cause an instant burst of laughter to rip through her chest. 

Such a silly man _._

“What do we do now?” The million dollar question that had racked her brain and rendered her thoughtless comes falling from her lips.

They have crossed a line now and there’s no turning back. 

“We finish our scenes for the day so I won’t hold back in kissing you like how I want to and like I know you want me to.”

Her brain short circuits from his claims that the kisses prior to this was him holding back, but he continues to speak.

“Then you can stop rejecting my offers for dinner with excuses and let me take you out on a date. I like you, if you haven’t noticed.” 

She reels back on herself and her impeding stupidity. Rey always thought those were mandatory invites, just his way to improve their chemistry together for their scenes. 

She hadn’t noticed that the dinner invites were solely for her because he wanted to spend more time with her, outside the show and outside being co-stars. 

Before she can give a sincere answer, there’s another urgent knock at the door that bursted through their delicate bubble. 

“Rey, are you there? Ben offered to find you but now we can’t seem to find him too.”

Poe’s voice is partly amused and exasperated, clearly for dealing with the dorky, buzzing actor without staying mad for too long. 

Panic spikes her nerves when she realizes their predicament. There’s no way they can get out without the director making the most obvious assumptions that wouldn’t be far off from the truth. 

While she’s formulating a convincing out as to how to people ended up in a secluded area, Ben does inevitable and takes her hand, opening the door without reluctance as if they had nothing to hide. 

Rey tenses at the fingers that swallowed her palm and before she knows it, she’s staring at Poe’s devious smile. Trying to appear smaller in shame, she hides behind Ben’s shoulder. 

This isn’t exactly how she wants people to find out about them. 

Poe takes in Ben’s smug smile before clapping a hand on his other shoulder. 

“When I told you to go for it, I didn’t mean right now,” He affectionately rolls his eyes, “Whatever you’re doing in there, come do it in front of the cameras. We’re going to need all that passion on set.” 

She slaps Ben back at his answering “Yes, sir.” 

When they film the entire sequence of the scene again, first the fight, then he carries her to the table again, only to devour her mouth for the countless time that day, Rey was unable to fight back to smile in between their supposed intense kissing, too happy to contain her bubbling emotions. 

The scene was perfect. As were Poe’s directing and the crew’s hard work did pay off to show two lovers who has been yearning for each other’s affections. 

When the director yells cut and dismisses “That’s a wrap!”, she begrudgingly allows Ben to pull her to the crowd gathering in the tent, stunned beyond words when he takes her hand again and clears his throat for a speech even before their final day of shooting. 

“I just wanted you all to be the first to know—” 

_‘Wait, first to know what?!’_

“—that we’re together,” Ben raised their joint hands excitedly. “We made out in her trailer and—” 

“Ben!” 

Rey immediately pulls her hand away, embarrassed to her core but does her best to retain what is left of her dignity by slapping a hand over his mouth.

The entire cast and crew stares with wide eyes before bursting into laughter and cheers and hoots, chanting _Reylo_ of all names. The encouragement is all he needed to push her hand away to join in with the cheer.

He awfully dances at the impromptu song, arms flailing wildly as his hips sway stiffly. 

There’s no winning against an excited Ben Solo. 

With a final defeated stare, she exhales a giggle before turning on her heels to let him have his fun, completely missing the point that he’s not only having fun because of her. 

Ben follows her like a lost puppy, slipping a hand around her waist as if they’ve been doing it forever. 

Everyone laughs at the visuals they make, looking eerily like the characters they play. Kira and Kylo is just as lovesick and smitten as Rey and Ben. Maybe they really are meant to be together in every possible reality.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!!
> 
> Would y’all be opposed with a part 2 of Ben’s POV at BAFTA’s where they first formally met?


End file.
